Here it is, the final chapter. Thank you all for sticking with this. I hope this is satisfactory (endings are much more difficult than beginnings). Constructive criticism is, as always, appreciated.

He woke up with the new day the next morning, watery rays of sunshine filtering through the cracks in the curtains to burn at his eyes. He looked around. Hogwarts infirmary.

There was someone in the bed next to him and he got to his shaky feet to see if it was Remus.

Tousled brown hair already with grey in it was visible at the top of the blanket and a pale foot was hanging out the side and Severus knew it was him. From the haphazard manner in which the werewolf was sleeping, he decided that he had in fact not been Kissed or killed and was simply sleeping off his injuries.

With a sigh of content, he got back into his own bed and laid his head on the cool pillow.

The next thing he knew, the sun was high in the sky and Madam Pomfrey wanted him to eat a chocolate feast to fight off any lingering ill-effects.

Taking a bite of toast with chocolate spread and making a desultory attempt to hide his enjoyment, he proceeded to quiz Madam Pomfrey about the whereabouts of her other patient, his welfare, his state of mind and whether he had eaten any chocolate as yet.

She answered a few of his questions with a wondering look in her eye but finally shook her head.

'Away with you, I said he's in the bath, he won't be long and I've got things to do.'

She said it kindly but Snape still looked daggers at her as she walked away.

He waited impatiently, choking down his glut of cocoa products until, slightly nauseous and all the more bad-tempered for that, he got up and hammered on the bathroom door. He could hear faint splashy noises behind it which stopped as Remus spoke.

'I'm alright Poppy; I'll be out soon.'

'It is I,' said Severus, and then felt like a fool.

'Oh, er, Severus. Did you want to use the bathroom? There's another one down the passage…'

'No, I wished to assure myself of your wellbeing. I am assured.'

'I'm fine. I ate more chocolate than I've ever managed in a single sitting and now I feel quite alright.'

Severus nodded, realised he could not be seen, and then got confused as to what to say.

'I understand,' came the voice from behind the door, 'that I owe you my life. Thank you.'

'You are most welcome,' Severus said stiffly.

'Well,' there came an enormous wallowing noise, 'thanks all the same. I heard there were hundreds of Dementors and you got rid of them all.' Footsteps were slapping around on the tiles. 'Good timing for mastering the patronus!'

'Thank you,' Severus said.

'Have you eaten all your chocolate?'

He smiled, invisibly of course. 'Yes.'

'Good! I reckon you must be about ready for a bath as well then, though someone must have done a cleaning spell on us; I'm pretty sure I was filthy last night. There's nothing like a bath to aid the recovery process.'

The door swung open suddenly and Severus was confronted by a flushed werewolf in a white dressing gown, a couple of scratches adorning his face but accompanied by a twinkle worthy of the headmaster.

'I only hope that one day my potion-brewing can be as helpful to you, Severus! So how did you do it?' he asked, steam creeping out from behind him.

'How did I…'

'Cast the patronus?'

The werewolf felt ashamed of his curiosity as he saw Severus blush scarlet.

'You don't have to tell me,' he said quickly, and seemed to realise his own dishevelled state. He reached up and flattened his wet hair automatically.

'Poppy said there were others there,' he said.

'There were, a few,' said Snape, and the infirmary was invaded by the metaphorical ghosts of the soulless werewolves. The tension that seemed to pull him towards Lupin slackened and though he breathed easier he felt wrenched loose from it, safely isolated.

'I don't know how something like that could happen,' Remus said.

'The Dark Lord - he gives you everything you could wish for, but a second later he will take it all back, and demand payment. He makes plans that no one is privy to. He does whatever he chooses, Lupin, I thought you realised that.'

'You're right,' said Remus, and he turned away. 'What happened to them?'

'I don't know,' Snape said as he stared at the back of Remus's head for a fleeting second before the werewolf shut the bathroom door once more.

As the day continued, they did not speak much. Remus tried to open conversations with Severus, but he was tongue-tied and could only manage single word answers. All he could think about was what had happened before he had collapsed onto the forest floor, and sickening tendrils of shame consumed him. He could not meet Remus's eyes without blushing.

Madam Pomfrey discharged them both from her infirmary later that day and they made their way back to headquarters together, walking in silence through the Forbidden Forest down past the limits of the wards before apparating separately back.

They were walking towards the house, side by side, and had reached the front gate when Severus reached out and grasped Remus by his wrist, making him jump.

'Lupin,' he said urgently, 'you must not tell the Order what has happened.'

'But why? You saved my life! Don't you want people to know that?'

'I would prefer - that they did not.'

'I don't understand you, Severus,' Remus said. He stopped walking and faced him; he looked tired and confused.

'Can you not just - why must you tell them everything? I do not…'

'What is it?'

In truth Snape did not altogether know himself, but he could not bear the idea of Lupin sharing the events of the evening with his mocking, hostile friends. Already the shining moment was fading, tarnished with guilt and embarrassment, and he wanted to escape to the attic and know that no one would think any differently of him when he finally emerged.

'Don't tell them.'

'What's going on?

'Lupin, I -'

He stopped and looked down at the grass.

'What really happened?'

Snape breathed in and out in a moment that seemed to last hours.

'How did you cast that Patronus? Why have you been so strange all day, Severus? Aren't you - well, I know it's wrong, with what happened, but still, aren't you pleased? You cast a Patronus, you saved us! Something else must have happened!'

'Remus, please -'

'What did you do that let you cast the Patronus?' Remus's voice was gentle. The use of his given name, the sight of his friend pleading melted his heart, but hope was building in him and he could not let the matter rest.

'I suppose I ought to tell you, because it involves you,' Snape said in a low voice.

He looked up daringly to see the werewolf's reaction and continued.

'It was - remarkable. I have been happy before but I've never experienced such a - an intense - there are things in the world that I did not know about, but now I know about them, well… I have to… '

Remus had such a funny look on his face that he dropped his gaze so that his face was hidden but he was visibly trembling and he looked strangely defeated, defenceless like a hermit crab out of its shell. His voice shook as well, and Remus would have stopped him out of kindness but he wanted awfully to hear what he had to say.

'I love you, and I kissed you. I'm sorry.'

He still could not bring himself to even risk meeting Remus's eyes, but a cold hand found one of his and gave him the courage and he let brought his face up so that he could see.

The werewolf was positively glowing.

'Are you pleased?' Severus muttered, looking so unsure of himself that Remus was almost frightened by the havoc he seemed to have unknowingly - well, unintentionally - wrought and could only think of one course of action.

He kissed him.

Later that evening, they were back in their attic, brewing potion. It was the same as before and yet different. Every now and then their eyes would meet or their hands would touch and they would blush, and laugh. They were mostly silent but the quiet was entirely warm and peaceable.

Remus had had a weight taken from his mind. When he and Severus had finally made it into the house, he took a detour to his friends' room and announced his safe return and, nervously, the turn his relationship with Severus had taken. He was not expecting the reaction he got; true, there were not whoops of joy, or cheers, but Lily's face lit up and she gave James a jubilant kiss. Peter tipped Remus a wink, and Sirius shrugged his shoulders, rolled his eyes, and then got to his feet and gave Remus a hug. They had asked a few questions which Remus had answered politely but, clearly, itching with impatience to make his way upstairs.

The potion needed to cool and so with Severus's permission, Remus transfigured the chairs into a sofa and they sat together, Snape still anxious and unsure but capable of being calmed into affection.

'Can I ask you something?' Remus said, and Severus assented. 'Did you see your Patronus?'

'No.'

'Show me - show me how.' Remus looked apprehensive.

He needn't have worried. Severus took one of his hands and brought it to his lips. He brushed a dry kiss on the palm and then, still holding the hand, he waved his wand and murmured the words and an effortless silver creature burst from his wand once more.

Remus turned a delighted face towards him.

'It's a -'

'I can see what it is,' replied Severus, who was amused and gratified at the response to his new skill though doing his best to hide it, and far more interested in the living, breathing person beside him than the silver phantom he had conjured.

That evening, for the first time ever, Severus Snape burnt a potion.